Joel sent me this: "I ran the numbers (from B'Tselem) and in the first four days of this assault on Gaza the number of Palestinians killed by Israel is nearly double the number of Israelis killed by Palestinians in the past four years (about 230 Israelis)."

Al-Arabiyya TV (the station of King Fahd's brother-in-law) has just reported that a Palestinian woman was hit while breastfeeding her baby in Gaza. Let me guess: tomorrow Ethan Bronner and Taghreed El-Khodary will claim that the woman's breast was a Hamas stronghold.

Yesterday, the op-ed page of the New York Times asked Benny Morris (the advocate of ethnic cleansing) to represent the Israeli point of view. For the Palestinian point of view, the NYT asked...Benny Morris. Today, the NYT asked David Grossman to represent the Israeli point of view. For the Palestinian point of view, the NYT asked...David Grossman. The latter is considred a "dove" or a "liberal" by the schewed standards of the Zionist state. I never was impressed with those Israeli doves, ever. This "dove" today declares that Israel has been "restrained." He presumably believes that more than 60 women and children killed is a sign of restraint on the part of Israel.

""[The 62 figure] does not include civilian casualties who are men, even though we know that there have been some civilian men killed as well," UN humanitarian affairs co-ordinator John Holmes said." (thanks Carlos)

"It is likely that Hamas's accusations against Egypt - to the effect that Cairo was aware of an impending Israeli operation and took part in the deception preceding it - are largely correct." (thanks Laleh)

"“Of course we support it,” said Rosette Alalouf, a former colleague of Ms. Sheetrit, at the funeral. “Do we have a choice?”"The UN General Assembly had it right back in 1974: Zionism is indeed racism. What else would explain this particular article which sees the suffering of the superior race, but not among the primary victims who have been bombed by Israel for decades (not years).

Today's article in the New York Times (front page), is quite revealing. It also has the byline of Bronner and El-Khodary. The first sentence of the article uses the term "punishing air attacks." One needs to look at that phrase. Who invented that? Which bureau of Israeli occupation's military or intelligence apparatus came out with that one? Punishing air strikes. Just ponder that one. It clearly absolves Israel of any moral or political culpability when you describe its crimes as "punishing." This is another version of "retaliatory air strikes" that Israeli propagandists came up with in the past. So if a Palestinian group in Gaza were to bomb some target in Israel, would the New York Times describe it as "punishing car bomb" or "punishing bombings"? Bronner continues in his consistent record of justifying the bombing of every school, building, mosque, apartment in Gaza. Look at his language: "which also hit nearly all of Hamas’s security complexes, its university and other symbols of its sovereignty and power." Symbols of power? So do you find Palestinian bombings of school and synagogues justified by the same logic since they are "symbols" of Israel's power and sovereignty? But Taghreed El-Khodary has a different mission in Gaza. The New York Times today devotes half a page (a separate article) to the "suffering" of Israelis under ineffective and useless missiles that are made in the kitchen of homes in Gaza. Yet, while El-Khodary could have provided coverage about the human suffering in Gaza, she has a different agenda, or different orders. Yesterday, her mission was to cover the plight of the collaborators. Today, she cruelly went around Gaza asking the people there who they blamed, hoping that she will find people who are not blaming Israel. She found a 13-year old, and she quotes him at lenghth about his views in favor of peace with Israel. While his older brother standing next to him blamed Israel, she did not quote the brother, just the gist of what he said. He was not quotable enough for her. She later also went around asking the "blame" question hoping to find people who absolved Israel for its crimes. And even though there is a separate article in the paper about the "suffering" of Israelies, the main article also talked about the impact of Hamas missiles (which appear as cruise missiles in the US press): "There was a report of light injuries as well as a number of people in shock." People in shock? Notice that when there are no injuries the paper has to find a way to claim that they were injured, psychologically this time, I guess. In shock? Do you think that the Palestinians in Gaza are also in shock? Or do you think that bombs from fighter jets don't cause the shock that Hamas cruise missiles cause?

I received this message from Sharjah: "A peaceful march for gaza and Palestine in Sharjah UAE, has been attacked and violently stopped from proceeding. This is happening right now in the buheira area. Journalist from several local tv and newspaper journalists were attacked and threatened, no serious injuries reported until now but stand off between protesters and the police have been ongoinging for the last 2 hours atleast. Will try to get pictures if possible. Trying to alert international media like BBC and al jazeera please help. We can't stay quiet any more. We just want to be able to show our solidarity and our grief."

I saw the speech of the chief collaborationist, Abu Mazen. What was striking was his heavy religious invocations: he sounded more like Ayman Adh-Dhawahiri (and he is a boring speaker like him too). This man would say anything to please his Israeli occupation masters.

One of the most annoying (but predictable) trends in American Zionist media, is this concern for the plight of collaborators. Of course, they care about them because they work on behalf of the Israeli terrorist occupation. Yesterday, much of the coverage on Gaza suffering in the lousy article in the New York Times (which carried the contribution of Taghreed El-Khodary) focused not on the civilian population but on the plight of collaborators. But this reveals much about the thrust of US media coverage: that they impose standards on the Palestinian national movement that were never imposed on any movement. The Palestinian national movement is expected to adhere to standards that no other national movement ever adhered to. Collaborators are killers: these are the one who direct and help Israeli terrorist occupation as it bombs the hell out of Palestinian cities and towns. They are partners in the Israeli terrorist occupation crime. When American liberals were supporting the strugge against apartheid in South Africa, they never expressed concerns for the life of collaborators who were necklaced. How did the American Revolutionaries deal with collaborators? Or how did the Algerian Revolutionaries deal with collaborators? The French resistance was most ruthless with collaborators: they would usually shoot the man (or woman in some cases) in front of his family, and sometimes they would shoot him WITH his family. But this is clear; Western governemnts and media are all supporting a collaborationist regime represented by the likes of Abu Mazen, `Abd-Rabbu, Dahlan and the others. It is in their interest to redefine collaboration in a way as to salvage the reputation of those gangsters.

"I believe the Israeli airstrikes are clear violations of international humanitarian law. While the Palestinian rocket fire against civilian targets in Israel may be illegal, that does not give Israel the right to violate the Geneva Conventions. The airstrikes represent:

¶Collective punishment (the civilian population is being punished for actions of a few militants).¶Unlawful attack on civilians in a protected population (the strikes are targeting civilian areas, Gaza being one of the most densely populated areas in the Middle East).¶Disproportionate military action (Israel has destroyed the entire security infrastructure of 1.5 million people).In addition, earlier Israeli actions, like the closing of Gaza’s borders, have led to severe shortages of medicine and fuel, so ambulances can’t respond to the injured, hospitals can’t adequately receive or treat the wounded, and doctors are unable to provide sufficient medical care. Israel is using F-16 fighter jets and weapons provided by the United States. We must stop military aid to Israel. Phyllis Bennis Washington, Dec. 29, 2008"

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Now we know why she was hired in the New York Times. Here, Taghreed El-Khodary expresses her concerns for the security of Israel. Here, Daniel Pipes gives El-Khodary his seal of approval and admiration. While we are at it, let me recommend Mithal Allusi as New York Times' special correspondent in the entire Middle East, and dead Bashir Gemayyel can be NYT's correspondent in Lebanon. (thanks anonymous)

I usually avoid commenting on the writings of Jeffrey Goldberg: not only because he is deeply ignorant of the Middle East (he was laughed out at in Egypt when he went asking Egyptians after Sep. 11 if sex in paradise is the motive of Muslim fundamentalists), but because he is visibly, well, not very bright at all, to put it very charitably. Here, he tells you that he has a Dahlan gang friend. You usually know when a racist vomits a racist point and then attribute it to "his best friend who happens to be a member of that race targeted by hate" that he/she is revealing his own racism. Here, Goldberg reminds me of Nazis in Germany: sometimes they would parade an individual Jewish person who they say supports their racist polices. Goldberg is like the Nazi parading that token victim. (thanks Norman)

"If necessary, sympathetic photographers take pictures of children who pretend to be injured, and once they are published in Western newspapers these claims become fact." Kathy (my 1st ex-wife) sent me this with the comment: "Barry Fucking Rubin and David Fucking Frum. I thought I had heard it all."(PS The picture above is of Lama Hamdan, 4, who is pretending to be killed and buried, next to her sister, Haya, 11, who also pretended to be killed and injured). (Reuters)

A reporter sent me this (he/she does not want to be quoted by name): "I work for..., and I thought you might like to know that we are now receiving press releases from the Israeli consulate and Zionist propaganda groups favorably quoting Mahmoud Abbas. This from a group called The Israel Project: Iran-backed Terrorists in Gaza Kill 3, Wound Others in Continuing Rocket Attacks on IsraelDespite Attacks, Israel Continues Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

"Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Hamas is responsible for the current situation in Gaza and said he had asked Hamas not to end the ceasefire.""

"Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the cancellation of all New Year celebration in Dubai in support of the people of Gaza." He said that UAE will continue to supply Dahlan gangs with weopons and will continue to do "business" with Dahlan.

From the poem I Call On You by Palestinian poet Tawfiq Zayyad (my translation):“I call on youI press your handsI kiss the ground under your feetand I say: I sacrifice myself for youI give you as a giftthe light of my eyesand the warmth of heart, I give youMy tragedy that I liveIs my share of your tragediesI call on youI press your handsI kiss the ground under your feetand I say: I sacrifice myself for youI did not humiliate myself in my homelandand I did not lower my shouldersI stood facing my oppressorsorphaned, naked, and bare footI call on youI press your handsI kiss the ground under your feetand I say: I sacrifice myself for youI carried my blood on my palmI never lowered my flagsand I cared for the green grassover the graves of my ancestors”

Bridge of Return by Palestinian poet Tawfiq Zayyad (my translation): "My dear people!! With eyelids I roll out the path of your return, with eyelids. I embrace your wound and pick up the thorns of the path, with eyelids. With the palms of the hand, I grind the granite stone, with the palms of the hand. And from my flesh, I build the bridge of your return, on both coasts."

From a poem by Palestinian poet Tawfiq Zayyad (my translation)"My land..! My friends!..My stolen treasure..! My history..The bones of my father andgrandfather are denied to me,so how can I forgive?If they mount the gallows forme...I am not forgivingThese green villages of ourshave all become our bloodand scattered tracesOnes have remainedand still fightingwith nails...Do not tell me..do not tell me..!Even tombstones have been scattered."

Barak made Al-Jazeera (Arabic) wait for more than two hours for a scheduled interview and then he canceled. Arab governments and media deserve any humiliation that is visited on them by Israeli terrorist occupiers.

The Saudi website, Elaph (which combines Israeli political propaganda with sleaze and sexual objectification of women and which is called "liberal" by Israeli propaganda network, MEMRI), has this top story today: an item about nudity in the films of Marisa Tomei.

Today, the Bahraini foreign minister explained why the foreign ministers of the GCC in Oman did not call for an Arab summit. He asked: should we not give Israel more times to kill more Palestinians before we call for a summit?

You don't really see it in the Western press. I would argue that the Saudi public is the most sympathetic to the Palestinian people, and some from a religious point of view. You look at the internet and even at official news outlets and you see strong Saudi responses (in petitions and letters and other forms of expression) toward the horrors in Gaza.

"Since the start of the Israeli bombardment on Saturday, Mr Abbas and his allies in the West Bank have struggled to present a coherent response: they initially rushed to condemn the air strikes, and expressed solidarity with the 1.5m Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. But their message grew blurred as the attacks went on, with several senior Palestinian Authority officials blaming Hamas for the death and destruction visited on Gaza. Mr Abbas took a similar line on Sunday, when he said the attacks could have been avoided if the Islamists had stopped firing rockets on Israel."

Saudi Arabia sent two plane loads of Qur'ans and prayer books to the people of Gaza. That will end the humanitarian crisis, I am sure. Leave it to the wisdom of the Servitor of the Two Holy Sites (and the IKEA store in the Kingdom).

I asked an AlJazeera (Arabic) anchor how she can interview Israeli propagandists. She said that sometimes it is hard but that she feels that she can put them in embarrassing positions. I would rather that AlJazeera interview Larry King or Anderson Cooper instead.

The cities and towns where the ineffective Hamas missiles are falling are Palestinian cities and towns from which many of the current residents of Gaza, or their parents, were evicted by Israeli terrorist occupiers.

I saw At-Tayyib `Abdur-Rahim on Al-Arabiyya TV. This man now has the title of "secretary-general of the presidency" of the PA. We know this man: we remember him from his Beirut days. He led Force 17: he was noted for being an effective commander of thugs and criminals that did much to damage the image of the Palestinains in Lebanon. Today, he basically lamented Israeli moderation toward the Palestinain people.

When there is a conflict, the New York Times op-ed page always seems balance and opposite viewpoints. Take today. For this Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the NYT asked for two different and contrasting views. For the Israeli viewpoint, Benny Morris (the right-wing Israeli historian who supports ethnic cleansing) fairly represented the Israeli viewpoint. For the Palestinian perspective, the New York Times asked...Benny Morris to represent it.

A source in Norway sent me this: "Today the Norwegian government approved an emergency aid package of 30 million kroner. This means in real time, that at this very moment the Norwegian RedCross and other Norwegian organizations are loading planes and trucks with medicine and other supplies to be sent to Gaza." In other news, the Lebanese council of ministers met and decided to donate--KID YOU NOT--one million dollars and they also promised to use the new (used) Russian zeee planes to destroy another Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.

Our Country is a Graveyard by Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish (my translation):"Gentlemen, you have transformedour country into a graveyardYou have planted bullets in our heads,and organized massacresGentlemen, nothing passes like thatwithout accountAll that you have doneto our people isregistered in notebooks"

I just don't understand why dispatches of the New York Times from Israel don't carry the official seal of approval and admiration from the Israeli terrorist occupation army. Really, I mean that. They might as well. But don't you like it now when they add the name of a toke Arab to the dispatches, as it that will add balance to the articles. That token Arab has much input as that lousy token Zionist Arab at the Jerusalem Post who is known to make quotes and create stories all to appeal to the biases of his editors. Don't get me wrong: Taghreed El-Khodary may be permitted--just like those Arabs were allowed to work in the NYT bureau/fortress but were banned from staying overnight like other white man reporters--to fetch hummus and bread for the White Man who runs the bureau. First, notice that Bronner goes out of his way several times in the article to list the targets of Israel bombing to assure the readers that all are terrorist targets: "his air force struck at the organization’s civic institutions — the Islamic University, Interior Ministry and presidential guesthouse." Yet he is made to admit: "The death toll surpassed 350, some 60 of them civilians, according to United Nations officials." But he then moves quickly to report to you about the horrors of Hamas bombing of Israel, and at one point I almost expected him to report that Hamas fighter jets were bombing the Israeli coast. But the premise of this article--and all other articles and editorials in the New York Times--is quite simple and Arabs have gotten to know it full well: that the Palestinians are inferior to Israeli Jews, and their sufferings are never equal to that of Israelis. But there is almost an official ratio of racial/ethnic suffering that they adhere to: that the suffering of one armed Israeli is equal to that of 1000 unarmed Palestinians. They probably have that ratio printed on the wall in NYT bureau in Israel. But I can't deny that there are some Palestinians who do receive the attention and sympathy of Israel and its supporters at NYT: those are the collaborators, killers, and spies. Notice how much details are provided about them and Bronner is horrified that the collaborators are not treated with the respect and honor that they deserve, just as he is accustomed to the humane treatment that America accords to its enemy and its collaborators in Aghanistan and Iraq. But there are other reasons why this article care so much about the plight of the collaboratores: becuase the Palestinians become worthy of sympathy when they serve their Israeli enemy. Their status on the hiearchy of racial/ethnic hatred of Zionism is immediately elevated. Bronner sent a reporter to a Gaza hospital but only to follow the conditions of the collaborators. If it were in his hands, he would have rushed to Gaza with smoothies in his hands. But this is really my favorite part of the article: when Bronner (who until recently served as deputy foreign editor at the Times) is compelled to report about demonstrations against Israel throughout the Arab/Muslim world: "Allies of Hamas in parts of the Muslim world raised their voices. In Beirut, tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters stood in pouring rain in protest, and in Tehran a group of influential conservative Iranian clerics began an online registration drive seeking volunteers to fight Israel." So the only protests were staged by "allies of Hamas", and not by anybody else, and Bronner did not know of protests except in Lebanon and in Iran. Now, I know that Bronner does not know Arabic but he could have asked one of the bureau Arab servants to put the TV channels for viewing of demonstrations throughout the Arab world and well beyond the Arab world. So is Bronner trying to suggest that only allies of Hamas staged protests? Does that mean that the demonstration in London yesterday or in New York was staged by allies of Hamas too? But Bronner is committed to fair reporting which explains why he had to add this: "Israel sent in some 40 trucks of humanitarian relief." The entire world is observing the cruely and savagery of Israeli siege of Gaza, which started long before the two rockets fell on Israel, and Bronner is busy expressing admiration for the humintarian gestures of the Israeli terrorist occupiers. But Bronner is quite consistent: he has never encountered a civilian Palestinain target bombed that he did not label as political/military in order to justify Israeli bombings and killing. Look at him justify the bombing of a mosque (just as he yesterday justified the bombing of a university): "a mosque where militants often took refuge has been destroyed by Israel." And if you did not notice that he is willing to justify any and every bombing by Israel, he adds this sentence for exrtra effect: "appeared to be directed mainly at the political, military and academic symbols of Hamas’s rule in Gaza. The Israelis also made targets of the homes and offices of Hamas’s political and military leaders, who did not appear in public during the day." If Israel were to bomb a nursery (and of course Israeli terrorist occupiers have bombed nurseries over the years), Bronner is willing to come forward by linking it to a military project: maybe he would volunteer that the babies or children either contemplated terrorist plots in the future, or that they engaged in terrorit paintings. Here, as if it was not enough, Bronner tells you that Israel is going out of its way to spare the lives of the innocent: "Despite an apparent effort to limit the attacks to specific buildings." Even when children are killed, Bronner phrases the sentence again in a way to justify the killing: "In the Jabalya refugee camp on Sunday, an attack on a mosque where militants were hiding also struck a nearby house, killing five girls under the age of 18, health ministry officials said." Of course, the article ends by an account of the suffering of Israelis and the cruelty of Hamas' fighter jets. I just want to say that Taghreed el-Khodary (whoever she is and I don't know whether she did a stint like Hassan Fattah at the New Republic School of Zionist reporting) should be ashamed and appalled to have her name to this article.PS And tell Bronner that Hamas TV is still transmitting (uninterruptedly) although it was bombed by Israeli terrorist occupiers. (He reported: "The Hamas station was taken out by an Israeli missile.")

Hamas' bombastic rhetoric, especially in times of crisis, is worse than that of Ahmad Shuqayri prior to the 1967 war. But let me make this clear: I criticize Hamas daily but not this week because this is not about Hamas. This is about Israeli terrorist crimes agaisnt the Palestinian people. Don't let liberal Zionists fool you: I am old enough to remember when Israel practiced the same terrorist crimes against the Palestinains when they were led by feminsit/secular/enlightened/communist organizations. But that cliche statement contained in all Hamas' threats to the effect that "we shall make the ground shake under their feet" should really be shelved. In Arab organizations, the louder and higher the pitch of the threats, the smaller are the deeds, and vice versa.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Look at this description: " Islamic University in Gaza, a stronghold of Hamas." So let me ask innocently: if the Palestinians were to bomb an Israeli university, would the New York Times describe the university as "an Israeli stronghold"? And the Palestinian babies killed, were they also "Hamas-stronghold"?

The New York Times today said: "the more conciliatory and pro-Western Fatah." What has changed? When I first came to this country, Fatah was described as terrorist and "anti-Western"? Don't be surprised if 10 or more years from now, you read a reference to Hamas as "more conciliatory and pro-Western" and they probably compare it to a more militant organization that will emerge. Stay tuned.

"Further, the collective punishments of the population of Gaza will not likely lead to security for Israelis. According to numerous surveys, similar attacks in the past have only served to garner more support to the extremist elements of Hamas and renewed rocket attacks on Israel." Who writes their press releases now? Amos Oz? (thanks Youssef)

At the Huffington Post, Hearther Robinson is following in the footsteps of Thomas Friedman in lauding the one lone Iraqi Zionist, Mithal Allusi (the last time he opened his mouth in the parliament, he was beaten by colleagues, just as he also is in the habit of beating people he disagrees with this). But Heather Robinson--citing none other than Allusi--also reports that all Iraqis outside of the Green Zone (as if Allusi ever leaves the Green Zone), cheer his Zionism. Let me guess: Robinson believes that the people of Gaza will welcome Israeli terrorist invaders with "sweets and flowers."

When Israel attacks--and this is a regular occurence--I avoid watch US TV news. I stick to print media to avoid being aggravated. Today, I caught a few minutes of CNN: it is like watching a whole different international story. Basically, CNN (and presumably the others) are reporting vicious attacks on Israel from Gaza. I kid you not.

In one week, three Syrian workers were attacked in Lebanon and one killed. A few days later, one Syrian worker was found stabbed to death. Yesterday, a Syrian worker "fell" to his death in Lebanon. Neither the lousy Lebanese government nor the lousy Syrian government care to investigate or raise a stink.

Saudi and Egyptian media are on the defensive. They are going out of their way to explain their stances. After being attacked for ignoring the Gaza horrors, AlArabiyya changed its tune on the second day, especially when it was dubbed "The Hebrew One" in a speech by Hasan Nasrallah. The anchor explained the next day that they are not ignoring Gaza. But today, the defensiviness turned into counter-attack: Egyptian newspapers are filled with attacks on Hasan Nasrallah (and on Shi`ites in general), but the Saudi media are always treading carefully because it is very clear that the Saudi public (and the Egyptian public) is solidly in sympathy with Gaza, the propaganda of the governments notwithstanding. The Egyptian media today rolled out...Dahlan to explain the Palestinian situation to the Egyptian public. This is like asking the Grand Wizard of the KKK to explain the race situation to an audience of African-Americans.

Michele sent me this: "In an effort to help Americans get a sense of the death & destruction in Gaza, I came up with the following figures yesterday.Gaza pop = 1387276 and .02% is 277Israel pop is 7337000 and .02% is 1,467US pop is 305505444 and .02% is 611,011*I've double checked my figures and believe they are correct...for yesterday. Can you imagine how we Americans would react and feel if 611,011 Americans had died in the last 3 days from bombs?"* Correction: 02% of American pop is 61,101

"ATFP deplored the disproportionate force employed by Israel and expressed deep concern for the well-being of the innocent civilian population in Gaza. ATFP also reiterated its demand that the reckless and provocative rocket attacks aimed at Israel immediately stop." So the lobby wants Israel to use only "proportionate" force when it bombs Gaza. Not to be outdone, the James Zogby shop issued a statement and it stressed that: "the stupidity of Hamas' reckless behavior cannot be excused because of the continued danger such ill-considered actions pose to the security and well-being of its own constituents."

"Once again, the Israelis bomb the starving and imprisoned population of Gaza. The world watches the plight of 1.5 million Gazans live on TV and online; the western media largely justify the Israeli action. Even some Arab outlets try to equate the Palestinian resistance with the might of the Israeli military machine. And none of this is a surprise. The Israelis just concluded a round-the-world public relations campaign to gather support for their assault, even gaining the collaboration of Arab states like"

"“They wouldn’t let us go onto the street and forced us to leave and to stop,” Mrs al Masri said, wearing a niqab with a kaffiyeh draped around her shoulders, shortly after confronting the police. “They said it’s not allowed and I asked them why. They said they would arrest us.”" (thanks Aida)

"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a farewell interview to the CBS television network, in which she elaborated on former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "He became someone that I admired enormously," she said." I bet that she--like the US media--is carefully monitoring his toe movements.

"The trafficking of children for domestic labor in the U.S. is an extension of an illegal but common practice in Africa. Families in remote villages send their daughters to work in cities for extra money and the opportunity to escape a dead-end life. Some girls work for free on the understanding that they will at least be better fed in the home of their employer. The custom has led to the spread of trafficking, as well-to-do Africans accustomed to employing children immigrate to the U.S. Around one-third of the estimated 10,000 forced laborers in the United States are servants trapped behind the curtains of suburban homes, according to a study by the National Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley and Free the Slaves, a nonprofit group. No one can say how many are children, especially since their work can so easily be masked as chores." (thanks Matt)

"It's not that there is official censorship, it's just that there is an unwillingness of most Israelis to know. So, we have to fight, because nowadays it's more difficult because the papers used to understand their role in the past: to monitor the centers of power. The Israeli media did its role, and let journalists write about occupation. But now, because of changes in the press and political changes, the papers feel that they are not representatives of ideas and the idea of freedom of information, but that they represent the readers. And the readers are not interested, the average Israeli doesn't want to know about these things. You have to fight for everything that you publish, and there is much more space for leisure and "light" information, but nothing concerning the occupation. It's like writing in South Africa during the apartheid, but not about the apartheid."

"The Israel Air Force used a new bunker-buster missile that it received recently from the United States in strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, The Jerusalem Post learned on Sunday."

I have noticed that none (in the Arab or Western media) are pointing out the obvious: that none other than Muhammad Dahlan was the one who arranged the Rafah crossing agreement with the Israeli terrorist occupiers, and he was the one who promoted it in the Arab media. Here is my post from that time.

"On the other hand, Jewish students gathered to support the Israeli operation and called out "Death to terrorists" and "Ismail (Haniyeh) is next"." Will American media, civic, and congressional organizations and committees issue lengthy reports condemning the teaching of hate in Israeli society? But this is amazing--in fact, it is not if you know anything about Zionism and its history: every time Israel engages in killing Arab civilians, Israeli school children seem to dance and cheer. (thanks Jamal)

"Baraka, unable to restrain himself, told Netanyahu to “shut up and stop dancing over shed blood.” Immediately, another member Netanyahu’s Likud Party, Gilad Arden, told Baraka to “go to Gaza,” causing the latter to answer, “Of course I would go to show solidarity with my people.” Another rightist member of the Knesset, Avigdor Liberman, said to Baraka, “Go there and don’t come back.” Baraka fired back, “I and my people will remain a thorn in your and your likes’ throat.” Following that comment, Knesset Speaker Dalia Itsik ordered Baraka out of the session. On his way out, an extreme rightist Member of Knesset Ardan said to Baraka, “You are a racist.” Baraka replied, “you are a shoe.” Following that comment, Knesset Member Auri Ariel told Baraka in a challenging manner, “Hit him with your shoe.” Baraka apparently started to oblige, removing his shoe, before Israeli Knesset security removed him from the building." (thanks Emily)

"Al Mezan's initial monitoring indicates that at least 257 people have been killed in the IOF's strikes in the last 24 hours. Of those, the vast majority are non-combatants and civilians; including 20 children, nine women and 60 civilians. The majority of the rest of the casualties are members of the civilian police who were inside their stations or undertaking training. At least 597 people were also injured, including 35 children whose wounds were reportedly critical. Al Mezan believes that the number of casualties is expected to increase as many victims have been buried by their families without being registered at hospitals. Furthermore, a high number of people lie at hospitals between death and life. Moreover, dozens of people who were lightly wounded and therefore not admitted to hospitals were not counted. As the air strikes continue, more people fall victim to them. This makes this operation one of Israel's bloodiest, most criminal military actions in Gaza in the past few decades."

"Conviction rates hover just above 10 percent of complaints filed in the United States and are a measly 6 percent in Britain. Because the vast majority of rape victims don't file complaints, it does not take precise studies or statistics to conclude that most sexual assaults in most parts of the world end without punishment for the perpetrators." (thanks Molly)

Orwell should have assigned a special role for ADL in his 1984. I mean, you think about this organization which promotes defamation against a whole people while claiming to support opposition to defamation. And now this: "The Anti-Defamation League on Sunday issued a statement protesting The United Nations Security Council's call earlier in the day for an immediate end to all violence in Gaza, after and Israeli campaign left nearly 300 Palestinians dead in the Strip." Think about it. It is opposed to defamation but is angry because the US called for an end to killing. So the ADL is supporting more killing. I see. (thanks Marcy)

When Amos Oz will feign humanity. Some people I know call him Amos Toz. Let me make a prediction: when the death toll in Gaza reaches 1000, and when the number of children killed exceeds 200 or more, Amos Oz and a handful of his fellow "liberal" Israeli writers, will issue a bland and lousy letter in which they call on Israel to stop. They of course will make their argument not out of concern for the victims, but out of concern for the "soul" of Israel, just as this article in Newsweek analyzes the horrors of Gaza but in terms of whether it is good or bad for...the killers.

"A multibillion-dollar joint venture by Dow Chemical and a Kuwaiti company fell victim to the financial crisis and the collapse of oil prices when the Kuwaiti government said Sunday that it was backing out of the venture in the face of opposition in Parliament." (thanks Amer)

"“In the cabinet room today there was an energy, a feeling that after so long of showing restraint we had finally acted,” said Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, speaking of the weekly government meeting that he attended. Mark Heller, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that that energy reflected the deep feeling among average Israelis that the country had to regain its deterrent capacity."" What do you say about a state that it needs to attack a civilian population to recover its lost military self-esteem?

A foreign correspondent sent me this (I am citing with his/her permission and he/she wants to remain anonymous): "I think you would find interesting an encounter I had with Mahmoud al-Zahar in March 2008. It so happened that al-Zahar was there for a funeral at the same time I was visiting. I asked my friend to ask him for an interview for the ... newspaper I wrote for at the time, but he declined. I still got to meet him and had a short conversation with him. In it what struck me most was his naive understanding of his relationship with his "friend" Omar Sleiman. First I thought he was joking or just making a polite "change the subject" comment when i asked about the role of the Egyptian intelligence services, but when he really insisted that I believe that Omar Sleiman was a "good human being" who truly "loves the palestinians" -- I understood that Hamas was doomed to failure. This was two months after Hamas had blown up the (prison) wall on the border and the Egyptian Repression services were cracking down on opposition figures in preparation for the municipal elections in April, and arresting almost all of the Muslim Brotherhood candidates, The borderwall was still the hottest political topic in Egypt at the time and (of course nobody gave a shit about the incoming rigged elections) the general mood was undoubtedly supportive of the Palestinian action. Except, I noticed, when I spoke to men working in the various security services. When I spoke to them about Palestine and Palestinians their response was as if I had mentioned enemies of the state, as if I had mentioned Israel and not a brethren people. Of course, it is understandable, as the Palestinians and the rest of the poor people in Egypt threaten their unlawful and -ethical authority. That´s why I found it so astounding that al-Zahar didn´t understand Sleimans´ real intentions, because not one army or policeman ever even tried to hide from me their disgust for the Palestinian struggle. Al-Zahar spoke ignorantly about Egypt like one of the really poor and uneducated ghalaba - which there are so many of in Egypt - that have never ever had a conversation with a person from the elitist authoritarian class. He had no idea of the disdain the Egyptian elite had towards Hamas and their unstabilizing affect on Egypt. And this is the guy Hamas appointed as foreign minister for the Palestinian struggle, a guy who doesn´t even understand his own mother´s country, and apparently doesn´t even believe in the theory of class struggles. How sad this all is. But Palestine shall overcome!! "

I must confess that when it comes to catchy and rhythmic slogans, we Arabs are probably the best. There have been demonstrations against the Egyptian regime throughout the Arab world. The Beirut demonstrations chanted those slogans:«شو مكتوب عصباطي، حسني مبارك يا واطي»(What is written on my shoe? Husni Mubarak is despicable) (Shoes are offensive in Arab culture)«يا طنطاوي عامل إيه، بايع غزة بربع جنيه»(O Tantawi [The Shaykh of Al-Azhar] what are you up to? You have sold Gaza for a quarter of a pound)

"But in some ways the elections have made it impossible for officials like Mr. Barak not to react, because the public has grown anxious and angry over the rocket fire, which while causing no recent deaths and few injuries is deeply disturbing for those living near Gaza." Look at that language? "Made it impossible...not to react"? Can you not say the same about the Palestinians in Gaza? That the siege and starvation made it impossible for them not to react and that the people have been angry over the killings and hunger? The New York Times operate according to standards that refuse to see the Palestinians as equal to Israelis. The New York Times vomits insults against the Palestinians on regular bases.

"Hamas is officially committed to Israel’s destruction". I see, but is Israel committed to Hamas' destruction? And most importantly, who has done more destruction toward the other? Hamas or Israel? Furthermore, has Israel not destroyed Palestine? Should not the New York Times refer to Israel as "the entity that destroyed Palestine"?

"Israel, backed by the United States, Europe, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, has sought to isolate Hamas by squeezing Gaza economically, a policy that human rights groups condemn as collective punishment. Israel and Egypt, which control routes into and out of Gaza, have blocked nearly all but humanitarian aid from going in."

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The movement of Gen. `Awn was aligned with the Zionists in the US back in the 1990s, although it has become anti-Israeli in the last few years. The person who runs the Tayyar media, Habib Yunis, is a person who was (is?) involved with the fascistic and racist (against the Palestinians and Arabs) Guardians of the Cedar. This article on Tayyar's website is classic anti-Semitism.

The word from the White House: "“These people are nothing but thugs,” Gordon Johndroe, White House spokesman, said yesterday in comments to reporters in Crawford, Texas, where President George W. Bush is vacationing at his ranch." (Picture credit)

"Sources in the defense establishment said Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the operation over six months ago, even as Israel was beginning to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. According to the sources, Barak maintained that although the lull would allow Hamas to prepare for a showdown with Israel, the Israeli army needed time to prepare, as well. Barak gave orders to carry out a comprehensive intelligence-gathering drive which sought to map out Hamas' security infrastructure, along with that of other militant organizations operating in the Strip."

"The palestinian embassy in abu dhabi called for a "Gaza solidarity" rally in front of the embassy from 5 to 8 pm this evening. The placid crowd of about 50 mostly young Palestinian men and women were dispersed by the army within the hour. There were police and dozens of army personnel in riot gear "shoving" people and urging them to disassemble as an acquaintance who attended told me. I drove by at around six, the crowd had already dispersed and armoured military vehicles were on the streets."

I saw Khalidah Jarrar of the PFLP on AlJazeera. How awful. She sounded like some official from an EU country. Why doesn't the PFLP disband? It has no purpose anymore, especially with Sa`dat in jail, and the lousy Malluh in charge.

"From Lebanon to Iran, Israel's adversaries used the weekend assault to marshal crowds into the streets for noisy demonstrations." First note that Israel's adversaries (as if the people themselves are not Israel's adversaries) conspiratorially "marshaled" the crowds. Secondly, notice that the demonstrations are "noisy." Can you imagine demonstrations for Israel are described as "noisy"? What makes a demonstration noisy? (thanks Sarah)

"In Dubai, the crowd, which included not only Palestinians and other Arabs, but some westerners and children, converged on the consulate in Bur Dubai shortly before noon." Not to be cynical, but hundreds? Tens of thousands turn out to see Elissa.

"The report, based on Arab diplomatic sources, claims that Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman told a number of Arab leaders that Israel was intending to attack the Gaza Strip in a limited manner in order to pressure the Palestinian organization into agreeing to a renewed ceasefire. According to the paper, Hamas was given a different message." Being fooled by Egyptian intelligence is like being reformed by Muhammad Dahlan.

"Gaza had never seen anything like the numbers of dead bodies lying on its streets. Hospital morgues were already full. The dead were piled on top of each other outside. Bombs targeting a Hamas security force building badly damaged an adjacent school, and several children were injured." (thanks Arun)

This is the size of the Israeli "peace camp": "Around 300 activists took part in the protest, in order to condemn what they called Israel's "genocide and war crimes". The demonstrators marched through the streets of Tel Aviv until they reached the ministry's headquarters."

"Twelve year old Ayaman is screaming at his father who tries to prevent him from seeing the bodies of his uncle and brother, torn to pieces under sheets. “I’m not afraid to see them,” he screamed. In a rage as his father holds tight, Ayman catches the hand of a resistance fighter; “shell and kill them as they did to us,” he says."

"Palestinian sources reported that in this evening's attack, the IAF fired at Hamas's film studio complex, which was erected on the ruins of Ganey Tal recently and was used to produce ropaganda films." Only one side is entitled to propaganda in the Arab-Israeli conflict. (thanks David)

The station of King Fahd's brother-in-law (enough said), Al-Arabiyya yesterday tried to hard to give extensive coverage of Israeli terrorism in Gaza. So you tried to so hard to fill in the news hour, and they were compelled to provide detailed coverage of Mauritanian political developments (which they never do at the station that based on the worship of the White Man) only to avoid giving extensive coverage of Israeli crimes.

Yesterday, I wondered why Hamas did not vacate their offices when an Israeli attack has been imminent for months. David sent me this from the Jerusalem Post: "A Hamas official told The Jerusalem Post that the reason why security installations in the Gaza Strip had not been evacuated before the attack was because the Egyptians had assured his movement that there would be no Israeli attack in the coming days." I said: it proves then that Hamas leaders are even dumber than I had thought . They accepted assurances from the Egyptian regime? From the Egyptian regime?

Saudi royal family can't of course tolerate free expression of views: not in the media and not on internet site. Just read the comments under this fawning item on Saudi king and you shall see that most were clearly written by the same person in praise of a king who can't finish a sentence on his own. (thanks Amer)

The Zionist movement (from so-called liberals like Amos Oz to Israeli leaders of all stripes) debase language by regular and routine dehumanizing of the Palestinian people. For decades, they can't use the word Palestinian without attaching the word "terrorist" and "terrorism". We need to put this propaganda rhetoric on its head. I have lived long enough in this country to see enough Arabs getting nervous when asked whether they recognize Israel, and how they describes Israeli crimes. We need to be categorical: of course, we don't recognize Israel, and we shall never recognize Israeli mass violence on the Palestinian people (which is referred to as "the creation of Israel" or its "war of independence" in this country). And whenever we use the word "Israeli" we need to use the word "terrorist": we need to do to the enemy rhetorically what it has done to the Palestinian victims of Israeli terrorism.

What is with those calls for Palestinian unity during this crisis? Leaders and intellectuals and lousy Arab leaders are calling for Palestinian unity. Unity? It is the reverse we need to stress. We need to stress Palestinian disunity because unity mean accepting Daglan gangs within the Palestinian National Movement. Dahlan-Abu Mazen-`Abd-Rabbu gangs are a cancer on the Palestinian national movement, and you don't co-exist with cancerous growths: you extricate them.

The Saudi-Zionist alliance deepens. Back in 2006, the Saudi royal family endorsed the Israeli war on Lebanon. I looked at Saudi media yesterday, and it is very clear that the Saudi-Hariri media are supporting (implicitly because they fear their own people) the Israeli war on Gaza. If you look at the Hariri rag, Al-Mustaqbal, for example, they only showed pictures of dead Hamas military men, and not one of the civilians killed and injured during the Israeli attack. The mouthpiece of Prince Salman, Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat, printed an editorial by its editor in which he blamed the Palestinians for their ordeal. I usually don't link to the Saudi sleaze website, Elaph, but this one will please MEMRI and itis titled: "The Israeli Army Smashes the Agents of Iran in Gaza." All the babies and children killed and children are agents of Iran. Yes.

The least AlJazeera (Arabic) can do--the least, I said--is to refrain from inviting those Israeli propagandist clowns to its studio. This vulgar and crude practice should stop, at least out of respect for the dead victims and their families.

From the BBC monitoring service: "Dahlan stresses the need to keep in contact with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan in order to adopt a unified Arab supportive position, in order to push the nternational community forward to handle this issue. Dahlan adds that the Palestinian president, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, will adopt political measures and moves." (thanks David)

I saw Khalid Mish`al on AlJazeera. He deafened my ears with his tedious religious invocations. Also, why didn't Hamas vacate their offices before the raids? I never try to understand Hamas, becaus I can't. It being clearly understood--to quote from the Balfour Declaration--that Israel, the Arab regimes, and Dahlan gangs should be blamed for the Israeli massacres.

"Protests against Israel's deadly bombing of Gaza erupted across the West Bank on Saturday, and in two cities, club-wielding Palestinian police tried to block crowds from throwing stones at Israeli troops."

"Dana Summers' editorial cartoon on Thursday ("If an American had thrown a shoe at an Arab leader") does nothing to provoke thought. It is a racist attempt to use an old and worn-out Hollywood stereotype, the Angry Arab."

He held a press conference today. He said that he has been firmly urging Israel to refrain from attacking Gaza. It shows in the pictures from that meeting. Where were the shoes of the assembled journalists today?

"Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Saturday instructed the Foreign Ministry to take emergency measures to adapt Israel's international public relations to the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip. Livni instructed senior ministry officials to open an aggressive and diplomatic international public relations campaign, in order to gain greater international support for Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip." (thanks Olivia)

Danish cartoons generated more public reactions among Arab public opinion (of course, the regime instigated that too because it was safe for them). Arafat was right about one thing--and one thing only: when you pin your hopes on the Arab masses, you shall be disappointed.

You should read this tribute to Zionist Middle East expert, Bruce Riedel. You read it and get the misconception that this guy really knows what he is talking about. Let me help you here. In the mid-1990s, when he was the Middle East expert at Clinton's National Security Council, he gave an interview to Daniel Pipes' journal, Middle East Quarterly, in which he argued that there is no evidence that the Arab public is displeased with the US-imposed sanctions on Iraq.

"The Israeli Air Force on Saturday launched a massive attack on Hamas targets throughout Gaza in retaliation for the recent heavy rocket fire from the area, hitting mostly security headquarters, training compounds and weapons storage facilities, the Israeli military and witnesses said." I knew that it would be mere hours or minutes before the New York Times come out in headline (on its front internet page) and in the article to justify Israeli killing of civilians. They don't realize that they use the same language that Al-Qa`idah uses in its attacks on civilians. But I have always argued that Al-Qa`idah and Zionisim are quite similar: in tactics and discourse. Has there ever been a Zionist killing of civilians that NYT did not judge to be "in retaliation"? And what if Palestinians justify any act of violence on their part against Israel as being in retaliation for the original massive act of terrorism, i.e., the very creation of Israel?

""I will play music and celebrate what the Israeli air force is doing." Those were the words, spoken on Al Jazeera today by Ofer Shmerling, an Israeli civil defense official in the Sderot area adjacent to Gaza, as images of Israel's latest massacres were broadcast around the world...But today's horrific attacks mark only a change in Israel's method of killing Palestinians recently. In recent months they died mostly silent deaths, the elderly and sick especially, deprived of food and necessary medicine by the two year-old Israeli blockade calculated and intended to cause suffering and deprivation to 1.5 million Palestinians, the vast majority refugees and children, caged into the Gaza Strip. In Gaza, Palestinians died silently, for want of basic medications: insulin, cancer treatment, products for dialysis prohibited from reaching them by Israel. What the media never question is Israel's idea of a truce. It is very simple. Under an Israeli-style truce, Palestinians have the right to remain silent while Israel starves them, kills them and continues to violently colonize their land. Israel has not only banned food and medicine to sustain Palestinian bodies in Gaza but it is also intent on starving minds: due to the blockade, there is not even ink, paper and glue to print textbooks for schoolchildren." (thanks Electronic Ali)

This time around, the Palestinians know their enemies: Israel and its supporters among Arab regimes. And the Palestinians know that the Antoine Lahds in their midst (Abu Mazen, `Abd-Rabbu, Dahlan and the others) are accomplices. (thanks Amer and Nabeel)

Chief Palestinian buffoon, Sa'ib `Urayqat (who tells his family that he will become a PA president--I know this because one of member told me), called Al-Arabiyya TV and said that Israeli puppet PA's president, Abu Mazen was meeting with the Saudi King and that the latter showed concern.

"GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes and combat helicopters pounded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing at least 155 people in the bloodiest day for Palestinians in more than 20 years of conflict." What is the relevance of "Hamas-ruled" in this dispatch? Like Israel did not engage in the killing of women in children before there was Hamas?

You should check the Huffingtonpost (the liberal website) and see how its provides justification for Israeli killing of civilians. The question is this: has there ever been an Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians that American liberals did not find justifiable?

Al-Arabiyya TV (the channel of King Fahd's brother-in-law) is deliberately providing the cover for the Israeli massacres by ignoring it. Al-Jazeera is providing live coverage but its on-line version is stressing "the official Arab condemnations" when Arab governments openly supported the Israeli assault on the civilians of Gaza.

Look at this dispatch by Robert Worth: "For its part, the Lebanese government has accused Israel of violating United Nations Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war, by trespassing into Lebanese territory during brief raids and by violating Lebanon’s airspace with jet flyovers." Accusations by the Lebanese government? Those violations are catalogued and published in official UN reports.

"In their efforts to win over notoriously fickle warlords and chieftains, the officials say, the agency's operatives have used a variety of personal services. These include pocketknives and tools, medicine or surgeries for ailing family members, toys and school equipment, tooth extractions, travel visas, and, occasionally, pharmaceutical enhancements for aging patriarchs with slumping libidos, the officials said."

"Shoe insults aren't limited to the Arabic or Muslim worlds. In South Asian countries like India, Hindus—as well as Muslims—have a custom of humiliating people by parading them in public wearing a garland of shoes." Who would not want to parade Bush in public wearing a garland of shoes?

"Farajallah explained that he invented a device using chemical substances available in Gaza, which burn when mixed and brought into contact with oxygen. He added that his concoction can be stored in medium-sized metal containers and used in homes, restaurants and bakeries as an alternative to cooking gas, since Israel has prevented deliveries of cooking gas to Gaza." (thanks Marcy)

"Major religious parties in Iraq have been accused of putting pressure on widows in an effort to scare them into voting in the upcoming provincial elections. Several widows have said they were warned they would lose essential government payouts unless they supported ruling Shiite parties in the January ballot."

"Member of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Mohammed Nazzal, accused the security organs of the Palestinian National Authority of spying on Arab and Islamic states in favor of Israel and the United States and other Western countries." I saw the interview with Nazzal on AlJazeera and while he was reading from captured documents, he--typical of Hamas figures--was only going half-way, refusing to name names.

"At the West Bank of the Jordan Valley, a generation of youth grows up forced to work. More than half of the inhabitants of the West Bank is unemployed, which makes children the real breadwinners of their families. Every day again, off they go. Some are lucky and find a job for the day in a Jewish settlement or workplace. School education and dreams? Better forget those."

"As an Iraqi journalist, I’ve had a hard time understanding why Arab people are treating us with dignity now after this type of behavior. Throwing a shoe, especially at a guest, is a deep insult in our culture." Thanks for the inside information, o native informant. (thanks Rime)

Thursday, December 25, 2008

She just told him she wants to invade Gaza and continues to starve its population. Look at her expressions: this is what Arab governments now mean to Israel. They mean what my old shoes mean to me (yes, shoes are highly insulting in Arab culture). (AP)

So according to NYT's Michael Slackman, it is over. We might as well go to sleep. "Today, the search for identity in the Middle East no longer involves tension between the secular and religious. Religion has won." When I was child, we could have easily said that secularism has won. It is not over, and the battle (in every society) continues. (thanks W.A.)

This is a very nice collection of shoe cartoons from the sleazy Saudi website elaph.The one above says: "Unforgettable shoes! [From right to left]: The Shoe of Khrushchev, the sandals of Ghawwar, and the shoe of Zubaydi."

Amer wrote this for Iraqslogger: "As with most Arab satellite channels, Future TV (founded by the Lebanese Hariri family, an ally of Saudi Arabia) devoted its prime time talk shows last week to the Montazir al-Zaidi affair. The popular talk show host Zaven, however, had a lead over the competition: an exclusive interview with al-Zaidi himself. As it later turned out, the heavily advertized interview was conducted between Zaven and al-Zaidi (as well as a dozen other Iraqi journalists) before the shoe-throwing incident, and al-Zaidi’s comments lasted a little over two minutes. The lackluster episode, however, gained much attention due to another reason: the show’s promotional clips pompously advertized: “this show is sponsored by …. The CIA.”

The Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper revealed the matter in a front-page story on Wednesday, affirming that the CIA “sponsorship” promo was displayed to Future TV viewers in North America. The affair may prove embarrassing and even scandalous to Future TV and its pro-Saudi backers – already accused of being “American tools” by their adversaries. The matter also opens up a thorny debate in Arab journalism regarding the deep involvement of state financing – both local and foreign - in the media of the region (imagine – for the sake of comparison - an American TV channel airing political programs sponsored by Chinese, Russian or Iranian security agencies.)

The last time an Arab media figure was publicly “outed” as a recipient of CIA funding was in the 1960s, when the Hiwar literary journal, edited by Palestinian intellectual Tawfeeq Sayigh, was wrapped in a major scandal: the magazine was secretly receiving CIA funds through front organizations set up by the American intelligence agency to support pro-American publications around the world. The journal was shut down and Sayigh – now publicly shunned - died shortly thereafter.

This time around, financing by foreign governments is apparent in journalistic institutions throughout the Middle East. For all the talk of the freedom of press and the independence of the media in the Middle East and the “New Iraq,” facts on the ground are more amenable to conspiracy theories with governments (foreign and local) and intelligence agencies pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the Arab media every year.

The US government owns and funds several media outlets targeting Arab audiences, and US officials openly speak of hundreds of millions of dollars spent for “PR” purposes yearly. One of the observable effects of this funding is in the immense amount of US-financed political ads that drown pan-Arab channels like al-`Arabiya and New TV – not to mention local Iraqi papers and TVs. Most of that advertisement (smartly displayed on both, pro-American and anti-American channels) targets the Iraqi public and usually carries “soft” pro-government and patriotic messages (“do not believe terrorists who call themselves resistants,” “support the police and Army” etc…) But even these ads attempted to keep a distance between their message and the US government.

The first reaction of Future Television, through the chair of its board, was to stress that the CIA “sponsorship” of Zaven’s talk show is – in effect – an ordinary paid ad, and that the purposes of the Central Intelligence Agency are “merely” to recruit from among the viewers."

Comic by Terry Furry, reproduced from "Heard the One About the Funny Leftist?" by Cris Thompson, East Bay Express

As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.

The comments that appear in the comments' section are unedited and uncensored. The thoughtful and thoughtless, sane and insane, loving and hateful, wise and unwise ideas that they contain do not represent the Angry Arab. They only represent those who write them, whoever they are.